BS in Journalism

In conjunction with the Boston University Hub, the Department of Journalism offers a robust selection of core courses and recommended professional pathways to provide knowledge and training in the areas of reporting, writing, editing, production, design, cultural sensitivity, and civic responsibility, as well as to supply the core understanding and management of professional journalism when it relates to deadlines, interviewing, research, and innovation in the field.

The full curriculum is designed to provide for students to solve the most challenging aspects of professional journalism and to instill confidence to be on the front lines of understanding the cultural and ethical boundaries and opportunities of becoming members of the esteemed and elite field of professional journalists, in order to safeguard the sanctity of the free press.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, students will be able to:

Students apply basic principles such as accuracy, fairness and public service, and communicate clearly in analog and digital journalism platforms.

Students conduct research using a variety of sources and evaluate the accuracy of such information, with the goal of furthering a society built on the foundation of free speech.

Students understand and discuss the historical, legal, and ethical underpinnings of American media.

Students design and execute an effective job search in journalism.

Curriculum

All students entering as freshmen in Fall 2018 and after will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, a general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements are flexible and can be satisfied in many different ways, through coursework in and beyond the major and, in some cases, through co-curricular activities. Students majoring in Journalism will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy all BU Hub requirements in Communication, as well as some in Philosophical, Aesthetic and Historical Interpretation; Scientific and Social Inquiry; and the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, co-curricular experiences.

Requirements specific to the College of Communication Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism are separated into four levels. The first level is College-wide requirements—4 credits comprising CO 101 and an additional 0-credit professional practicum—that provide the foundation for a future in any communication field. Beyond that are departmental requirements, 24 credits which encompass important aspects of journalism from several angles: Writing, Reporting, Historical Assessment, and Visual Acuity. Then, there is a Professional Core Requirement, comprising either a professional Newsroom experience, an internship through the Boston State House Program, or a Professional Project conducted with one of our full-time faculty. Finally, there is a 16-credit Journalism Program requirement, which will likely be comprised of a pathway in Reporting, Long-Form/Feature Writing, Visual Journalism, Criticism, or Data and Research Methods.

COM Requirements

(1 course and a practicum, 4 credits)

COM CO 101 The Human Storyteller (coreq: CAS WR 120) (must be taken with a C or higher to continue in COM) (can be taken by freshmen)

Students who take more than one of the Journalism Professional Core courses can use those extra credits toward the Journalism Program Requirements.

Journalism Program Courses

(must complete 16 credits of the following, any 300-level JO course can count)

*Recommended (but not required) pathways are available through consultation with professional and faculty advisors at the College of Communication, and will be updated routinely to mirror the ever-changing world of professional journalism.

While a minimum of 48 credits are required within the College of Communication, students are encouraged to take the majority of the remainder of their courses, both in and out of the Hub, in areas outside of their major in order to augment their academic experience with the professional aspects of their major. Minors and dual degrees in other BU schools and colleges, while not required, are strongly recommended.

Students in the College of Communication can count no more than 52 credits (13 courses) in their home department, on the Charles River Campus, toward the degree program. This would include CO 201.